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California grandmother in Amber Alert appears in court

Carolyn Ruth Ferguson, 57, was found with the baby at a gas station in Tonopah, near Interstate 10 and 411th Avenue, records show. The baby was given back to her parents Wednesday night, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office officials said.

The woman accused of taking her 6-month-old granddaughter from California to Arizona, sparking an Amber Alert on Wednesday, was held on $50,000 bond in the Fourth Avenue Jail, authorities said Thursday.

The baby was given back to her parents Wednesday night, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office officials said.

The store clerk alerted authorities that Ferguson was acting strangely, could not answer simple questions and was giving the baby a cappuccino to drink, records show.

Ferguson told the clerk that her vehicle had broken down, records show. A roadside mechanic told police that he had seen Ferguson, and offered to work on her car, but cautioned that the vehicle would not be able to drive very far, records show.

Police reports show that the baby's mother told authorities that Ferguson took the baby while the mother was sleeping and that Ferguson had been acting erratically because she had stopped taking her prescription medication for bipolar disorder.

After being arrested, Ferguson and the child were taken to a Buckeye hospital to be evaluated, records show.

In the hospital, Ferguson became argumentative and combative and authorities said she needed to be handcuffed, according to court records.

A relative of the girl notified police in Huntington Beach that the girl was missing Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities at Ferguson's initial appearance said they thought Ferguson posed a flight risk and had an unstable mental state, which would require a higher bond amount.